What Used to Be
A Town Struck with Grief It had been a busy past few days for those sailing under the banner of the Cheeky Pirates. They had begun to make moves, even if ever so slowly. They were beginning to assert their position within this world. The notoriety gained from their clash with the Numerals only served to further their reputation. Now, there were the two groups that had divided amongst the New World to conquer. One group, led by Frostbite Envy, had been assigned with the task to take over the island of Foodvalten. Meanwhile, there was this group, or a pair to be more precise. Smaller than the previous, but just as important. Reiterpallasch R. Rene was sent to lead, backed up with the strength of Artaxes Lyov. Their goal was to investigate the sudden forest Pluto Grave and it's viability as a possible hide out. However, they would first need to gather any possible intel on the island itself. And who else better to ask than the locals? "Oh what a wonderful day to be wandering around some dingy forest on some no name island, wouldn't you say Lyo?" Rene's voice was dripping with sarcasm, the tall blonde producing a silver container from somewhere in his folds of clothing, placing what appeared to be a cigarette in between his lips. He struck a match off his nail and lit it before taking a deep inhale. He blew out the smoke in ring forms, in the shape of hearts no less, all of them floating up to circle around Lyov's head lazily "Sometimes I regret agreeing to be Kerrim's first mate. But then I remember that he's great in the sack and this allows me easier access and all's good! Rasusususu!" He giggled airily, the smoke making him light headed and floaty. Definitely not a cigarette, then. "What do you think we should do? There's a town on the outskirts of the forest. We can start asking around there." He motioned his smoke in the direction of the town dismissively "Or we can just dive headfirst into the forest! That'd be interesting, don't cha think? We might run into some dangerous beast! Or some primal forest-bound civilization that hasn't had contact with any outsider and wants to express their sexual curiosity..." He trailed off with a whimsical sigh, lost in whatever lecherous daydream he was having. The huge figure of Artaxes Lyov walked confidently besides Rene. With his usual stern demeanor, he rolled his eyes at his comrade's sexual comments and fantasies. "Rene, I don't need to know what you do with the captain behind closed doors." The young man, who towered over the already tall Rene, looked around, questioning their best course of action. As usual, he was barefooted and had his white robe over his golden plate armor. He suddenly stopped in his tracks, and smelled the air. His eyes were set on the direction of the town. "Um...I don't mind going into the forest right now, but I think we should go into town first." His stomach growled so loudly it felt like a beast's roar. He tilted his head away from Rene, as to hide his embarrassment. "Y-you know, to gather information, that's all. We should go to someplace to eat, they are the best places for information gathering...or so I've heard." His stomach growled once more. Lyov was starving. "Rasususu!" Rene laughed loudly, reaching over to poke Lyov's stomach lightly though he was disappointed that the action was ruined by the armor the other always wore. Instead he leaned up to pinch the redhead's cheek softly "Oh Lyo, red is definitely your color. That blush is downright endearing on you!" "Well, we'll go and fill your lamenting tummy and maybe sate my own hunger as well." He threw the other a lecherous smirk as he started to walk into the town "Who knows, maybe you'll join me. I just know there's so much I could teach you." He eyed his crewmate slowly before growling softly, then began whistling a high tune as though he hadn't just shamelessly come on to the other. Lyov was quite the confusing individual. He gave the impression of being a muscle-head, but he was far from it. He was smart, he had exceptional navigational skills, after all. But he was serious, shy and sometimes even innocent, only laughing and joking when the crew would band together for drinks or partying. As such, he didnt know how to react to his comrade's comments. "R-Rene-san. I believe that's inappropriate. We should focus on the mission Captain gave us," He said while still shamelessly looking away from his partner. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, his front foot producing a powerful thud that shook the trees, ground and even possibly Rene himself. He began scratching his head as he finally looked down on Rene. "Speaking of Captain......did he give you any money for this journey? He didn't give me my share yet. Captain is stingy like that." He said in a serious tone, although it was supposed to be comical. "Give? Kerrim? Oh Lyo, mon cher, you can't count on our captain to give you anything." He rifled through his pockets a bit before pulling out a lightly rolled wad of cash "Sometimes you just gotta take it. Though it's easier to swindle him after I do this tricky little maneuver with my tongue..." Rene trailed off, thinking no doubt lewd thoughts with a lecherous grin. He quickly brought himself to heel and tossed the roll to Lyov "There you go, ma petit. We can fill your stomach and learn all there is to learn about the forest. Though I have no idea why our captain would want to live in a place known to all inhabitants of the island as a grave. Of all things!" He shook his head, his blond hair swishing this way and that across his shoulders "I'm not superstitious, but that's an omen if I'd ever seen one." Without having noticed it, Rene and Lyov would have gotten themselves into the village amidst their banter. The two of them would catch a series of glances from the villagers, all of whom looked at them with disgust, anger and some with fear. The village had probably seen better days. A portion of their loved ones were swallowed alive by the forest not too far from their borders, quite literally living next to their nightmare. And then there was the issues within the village itself. Some buildings had been left in shambles, the most noticeable being a building that appeared to have had a whole blown into it's side. A few homes also appeared to have been demolished in what appeared to be a vicious battle. This made it so that the damage done to the streets seemed like nothing more than minor inconveniences. One of the men within the village would note that Lyov had strange markings on his face; three strips. Quickly grabbing a spear, he would stand in the middle of the street to block their path. The spear would be pointed directly at Lyov. Although shaking, he spoke with a stern authority. "Go back to that witch! She's done enough to our village! To Hell with all of you!" Rene's eyes widened as he took in the town's tattered state, and even more as the man approached them and threatened Lyov so brazenly "Well, big guy" He said slowly "I think this might be a good place to split up. You handle the hostile locals since you've endeared yourself to them and I'll go check out the forest." He threw the angry man a nervous smile. "Buh-bye!" Rene's body slowly became glossy and glass-like, and then completely clear. He vanished from their sights quickly and completely, moving backwards away from the confrontation as fast as his legs would carry him. Lyov groaned as he watched his comrade leave and let him deal with the situation. He was hungry. That's the only thing he had on his mind. He sniffed the air, and smelled something delicious being cooked nearby. He walked forward, the villagers took a step back as he continued on his way, without even minding their existence. "You bastard!" The villagers approached him, and stabbed him with their spears and swords. But nothing happened. Some broke after contact with his golden armor, and even those that went for his exposed skin, didn't do anything. They weren't even capable of drawing a single drop of blood on the towering young man. Lyov was visibly getting irritated at the continuous stabs, so he stopped for a moment, inhaled deeply, and let out a powerful, thunderous roar that sounded as if a mighty beast was ready to attack. "RROOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!" The wind blew violently, and everything in his vicinity was blown away. "W-What the hell!??" the villagers asked among themselves. It was just a low roar, as Lyov didn't want to harm them. If he wanted, he could've shattered their eardrums by just putting a bit of more effort. So he continued his march towards the smell. His stomach grumbled almost as loudly as his roar. "M-Must...eat." The crowd stood up, and continued rushing towards Lyov to attack him. "Leave me alone!" Lyov lightly stomped the ground once, and fissures were made from his stomp, which traveled through the town and caused a tremor. Houses began falling apart, and the citizens fell on their backs, unable to keep their balance in the midst of the earthquake caused by just a mere step forward. "W-What is this monster!?" The people began to run away, as Lyov stood frozen in place. They looked back to see the huge man just standing there until suddenly...he collapsed, his large body causing a loud thud as it fell. Lyov was simply, too hungry. He hadn't eaten in several days because he had spent his share of the loot gambling. Lyov had a gambling problem. Everyone looked around in confusion. Tall Tales Adventures of Dashing Rene Rene had walked until he was sure he wasn't being followed by any villagers that decided the old man had the right idea. He felt sorry for leaving Lyov behind like that, but he was sure that the big guy could handle a couple of villagers "Even if he was hungry, he's not a normal guy. The village doesn't stand a snowball's chance." Somehow he convinced himself that he did Lyov a favor. It would sharpen his problemsolving and creative thinking skills, after all. And shouldn't a good first mate always look for ways to improve the abilities of his crew? Of course! And he was nothing if not an amazing first mate. At this point he was preening, coming close to the entrance of the foreboding forest. He gave it the most cursory of glances before practically skipping into it. He wasn't dumb, however, he moved the large collapsible crossbow that was slung across his lower back into his hands. He flipped a mechanism and four arms, the handle and the stock snapped out of the bulky body. He stroked the thing reverently for a moment "Come now, Bianca. We're hunting...well I don't know. Adventure I guess." Having begun his thread into the massive forest, Rene would have found himself in a perilous territory. With each step he made, a strange ominous seemed to follow. No. Rene was the one being followed. It was more so as if Rene had been following something else. As his walk continued, Rene would find himself coming across what seemed to be a campsite. Although, it was clear it had long been abandoned. There stood a fallen log which had been made into some makeshift bench. Like almost any bench, it was constructed with the intent of fitting multiple people. However, judging from this specific bench's size, it was designed to fit two adults. Maybe even a third person, although they would have to be the size of a child at best. A cold breeze blew through the area for a moment, the leaves swaying along. However, along with it came the sound of rustling bushes to Rene's right. However, a twig seemed to snap from up ahead. Lyov's Jail Time Fun Lyov suddenly woke up, and found himself in a strange predicament. He was tied up. Last thing he remembered was him being annoyed at the villagers poking him with some sticks, while he searched for some food. "grooowl..." He was still hungry. He started drooling, as just at that moment, he had noticed something smelling good nearby. However, he saw someone in front of him with his blurry vision. Were they going to give him food? Why was he tied up? He felt he could possibly break from his captured state, but, he just wanted to get up, and take a bite out of whatever he could find. As his vision began to normalize, he finally took in his surroundings and those nearby. But before he could actually focus on it, he took a deep breath, and howled so loudly the ground trembled before his power. "Give...me...FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!!" "AHHHHH!" A young, feminine voice called out. To call that voice young was an understatement. No, it was childish to be exact. Jenny had indeed come to feed Lyov, yet, it wasn't something she was supposed to do. The young girl had snuck into the building in order to feed the man, not knowing anything about him, only that he was hungry. She stood back, shaking, the little girl unsure if she wanted to step any closer to the man. To the girl, Lyov would've probably looked like a wild, hungering beast, completely different to his usual demeanor. However, when he realized he had company, he tried to settle down. He sniffed the air, and smelled a delicious aroma. "Oi..." he addressed the visitor with the most non-threatening tone he could use with his deep voice. "Don't worry, I won't harm you. I just need to ask a few questions." He waited a moment, and proceeded to ask the questions, in order to gain her trust. "I just want to know where I am, and why i'm trapped. Also, why did the villagers attacked me? They seemed nice...although, now that I recall, the town was all trashed up." He lifted his gaze to try and look at he girl. "Please, I promise i mean you no harm. My name is Lyov, and yours?" The girl gingerly glanced at Lyov, doing her best to stop from shaking. "J-Jenny...I'm Jenny. Y-You're on the island of Marcella, the grownups put you in chains because you attacked them." She walked towards him, although slowly, realizing she had repeated what Lyov already seemed to know. "It's because of those marks on your cheeks. A woman and man did some bad things here a few months ago, and Miss had some drawings on her face like you. The grownups think you're friends with her." Lyov lowered his gaze to his mark on his cheek, then back up to the girl. He pondered for a second, could it be a coincidence? Many people have marks or scars on their cheeks these days. Whatever the case, he hadn't done anything to deserve being treated like an enemy...except maybe be a tad bit "hangry". "Young girl, I doubt it. You see, I have very few friends." He smiled at her briefly, before turning his face serious. "I don't like being chained up, girl. Please, remove this chains from me, and let me speak to the "grownups". Or I'll break the chains myself." He said in a serious tone, however, his demeanor turned neutral. He slightly flexed his muscles to let the girl know he was capable of breaking free at any given time. "M-Mister, please calm down and eat first." Jenny spoke, gingerly pushing the plate of food towards him. Lyov had been tied up to the point he could use his hands, but cuffs of seastone bound him to the building. The villagers of Marcella have since had to depend on themselves for protection, ransacking what remained of the Marine base that failed to protect them. Jenny's eyes were soft, flat, yet innocent and fearful. "Mister, talking to the grownups isn't gonna work. Once your tum-tum is nice and full, I'll release you, ok? But you have to pinky promise you won't let the grownups see you, ok?" Jenny spoke, waiting patiently for Lyov's promise.